The Remarkable 2 is going to be released in June and pre-orders are available now for $399 from the Remarkable website. This new device is a total redesign from the original and it has better hardware specs and a larger battery. At launch, reMarkable 2 will be accompanied by a Google Chrome plugin that will allow users to read clean, reformatted web articles on their paper tablet without distractions.
The Remarkable 2 features a 10.3 inch E INK display with Canvas 2.0 technology for a better refresh system when viewing PDF files or reading ebooks. The resolution is the same as the original with 1872×1404 with 226 PPI. The screen has 21ms latency, which is ideal for the new pens that have tilt and pressure sensitivity.
Underneath the hood is a 1.2 GHZ dual core processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Remarkable has basically doubled the processor and RAM from the original, but has kept the internal storage the same on the second generation model. Also, the company has decided to forgo a Micro USB port and go with USC-C, which should appeal to many people. It is powered by a 3,000 mAH battery and one charge should last around three weeks, the original model only lasted a few days. You can also leave it in standby mode for up to 90 days. It also continues to have wireless internet access to download firmware updates and other materials.
This device will also be shipping with a brand new stylus/pen. The stock one will come with the device and visually it looks the same as the stock one with the original Remarkable. If you feel like spending $99 there is a new marker plus, which is similar to the Marker Signature. Both of these pens attach magnetically to the side of the Remarkable 2 and have 4,096 degrees of pressure sensitivity.
Magnus Wanberg, the CEO of Remarkable told Good e-Reader – “We’ve worked closely with Wacom the last two years to create Marker Plus, the most beautiful pen we have ever made. In addition to premium materials and design, it features an end-cap eraser that works seamlessly with the reMarkable software. We’ve fined-tuned the eraser sensor in collaboration with Wacom’s engineering team to make sure it looks and feels like just a real eraser on paper. Marker Plus saves valuable time in fixing small writing mistakes with a quick flip of the pen, and we can’t wait to start shipping it to our customers.”
The dimensions are 246mm by 188mm and 4.7 mm and weighs 450g. Remarkable is billing this as the thinnest digital note taking device on the market.
The Remarkable 2 has a total redesign and looks very fresh. It does not have any physical buttons on the front of the unit, such as a home button or physical page turn keys. Everything is software based and the UI is on the left side, which can be minimized. I would say, the new Remarkable looks like a book, the front of the unit is white, and it has a black binding on the left side. The back of the unit is also white, so it has that classic Remarkable look.
“With the reMarkable 1 we redefined how good a digital writing experience could be, and we consider it to be nearly flawless – except for the last bit of latency. While we have the world’s most responsive digital paper, the 40 ms of lag still is noticeable. The hardware to further push the latency down further did not exist, so we decided to invent the technology ourselves.”
“We redesigned both the hardware and software architecture that controls the display through a completely new display controller that changes how the display itself is electrically controlled, down to the voltages and electrical currents applied in complex waveforms to each individual pixel, millions at a time. The result is a record breaking 20ms latency, smoother ink flow with less jitter, and an uncompletely uncontested digital writing experience perfected.”
Good e-Reader is going to be getting a review unit of the Remarkable 2 within the next few weeks and we will be conducting a full hands on review and look at all of the new software enhancements. You will also get a sense on how this unit compares against the original, in terms of performance and overall design.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
